Charge treating device for internal



Sept. 15, 1936. D. covYEow Re 20,108

CHARGE TREATING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Original FiledOct. 2l', 1933 Reissued Sept. l5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICECHARGE TREATING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Daniel L.Covyeow, Chicago, Ill.

9 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and moreparticularly to the treatment of the fuel charge, the principal objectbeing to prevent the accumulation of carbon deposits within thecombustion chambers and cylinders of the engine and accomplish anincrease in the power and elciency of the engine.

The present application involves an invention and improvement over thesubject matter of Letm ters Patent No, 1,918,898, issued to me on July18,

An object has been to providenovel and improved means for thepositioning of the wick elements andpermanent retention of the same inproper position.

An object also has been to provide novel and improved means forpreventing contact of more or less solid matter with the wick elements,and to enhance in general the eilective operation of the means forpreventing the accumulation 'of carbon deposits within the combustionchambers and cylinders, and of internal combustion en- Sines.

The invention alsovhas for an object the provision of means of thecharacter described which will be simple of construction, easy ofmanufacture, and relatively inexpensive, besides being simple ofassembly.

Other of the objects and advantages attained will hereinafter more fullyappear.

The invention will be best understood byreference to the. accompanyingdrawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of a preferred form of the device ofl my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan sectional view, taken on the line 3 3 oi Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a plan sectional View, taken on the line 4 4 of 1918.2.

The concrete exemplication which I have selected-to illustrate theprinciple of my invention may be utilized as shown in the Letters Patenthereinbefore referred, to, to which reference is made, to wit,.with anintake manifold and exhaust manifold which maybe located on the sameside of the engine block, and a carburetor connectedto a sourceofhydroearbon fuel supply and provided with the usual-throttle valve armand operating rod and other well known elements. The Ycarburetor' andthe other cooperating adjuncts may be adjusted in theusual way for theproper operation of the engine, asthough the 55 device of the presentinvention were not applied.

In the practical adaptation and association of the invention asdescribed in the accompanying drawing the apparatus includes a liquidsupply vreceptacle I'I which may be a glass jar, provided with'a screwcap I8. The liquid contents of the jar may be either plain water, or amixture of water and alcohol, or other .suitable liquid, which may beatomized and sprayed into the fuel mixture entering the combustionchamber of the engine. The screw cap I8 has a'central opening in whichis tted a nipple member I9 having a shoulder 20. The nipple member I9 issecured in place relative to the screw cap I6 by virtue of a cap nut 2Iwhich threads on nipple member I9 to cooperate with the shoulder 20 ofthe nipple member I9 to lock the nipple to the cap. The cap nut 2| has areduced extension 22 at its lower end which is internally threaded forengagement with the upper end of a main wick tube 23, which is providedwith threads 24. The tube 23 in the concrete exempliflcation shown hasits upper end terminating with the upper end of the reduced extension22. At the lower extremity of the tube 23 the same is provided withapertures 25 constituting ports for a purpose which will hereinafter beevident. A wick positioning tube 26 extends into and is secured b y anannular body of solder 21 yto the main wick tube 23, as is particularlyshown in Fig. 2. The wick positioning tube 26 extends from approximatelythe plane of the 30 screw cap I6 downwardly a short distance below thecap nut 2|. At the bottom of the main wick tube 23 there is a wirespring 28 which is coiled or looped once and has arms 29. The spring 28is located inside the lower portion of the tube and 3 its arms extendupwardly a distance therefrom to clamp against the wall of the tube, asis particularly shown by Figs. 2 and 4.

A wick 30 has an end 3|, shown particularly in Fig. 1, and the wickleads therefrom into the interior of the wick positioning tube 26 anddownwardly therethrough and through the main wick tube 23 to the bottomthereof, and is passed through the member 32 of the wire spring 28, asparticularly shown in Fig. 2, and is led back 45 up through the mainWick tube 23 and the wick positioning tube 26 over the top thereof andaround again on the outside to form another end 33. The ends 3| and 33are secured in position by means of a coil of wire 34 which winds around59 the outside of the wick position tube 26 and locks the ends betweenthe wire and the tube, as particularly shown in Fig. 1. Adapted to be'secured to the lower end of the main wick tube 23 is a gauze or meshguard 35 which may be of frusto- 55 conical shape, having a gauze bottom36, making the guard entirely closed when secured to the end of the mainwick tube 23 by means of a coil of wire 31. The screen or guard 35functions to prevent the entrance of solid matter into the tube 23, andat the same time permits the passage of the liquid therethrough into thetube, the shape of the guard being particularly effective for thispurpose. If the bottom of the guard becomes clogged, the liquid may gainentrance into the interior of the tube and tothe wick through thecylindrical wall, and also through the small apertures 25 hereinbeforereferred to.

Mounted within the nipple member I9 is a supplemental nipple member 38which is detachably secured thereto by a suitable coupling member 39.Extending downwardly through the supplemental nipple member 38 is anozzle member 40, turned angularly as at 4I, the nozzle member 40 beingpositioned centrally in the supplemental nipple member 38 by means of acoil of wire 42, as is particularly shown in Fig. 1. The nozzle member40 extends into a T member 43 having a leg 44, by which it is secured tothe nozzle 4I) by means of a body of solder 45, the member 40 extendingupwardly through the leg 44 and turned as shown in Fig. 1 into a centralIhorizontal bore 46 in the T-shaped member 43.

The T-shaped member 43 is secured by means of a coupling 41 to thesupplemental nipple member 38.

Extending through the nozzle member 40, as particularly shown in Fig. 1,and freely slidable yet restricted, is the stem 46 of a gravity valve 49which may be supported at rest on valve rest members 5I), the valve restmembers comprising inwardly turned portions of the lower end of the wallof the supplemental nipple member 38, forming in the concreteexempliflcation shown a pair of horizontal lugs or bearings, asparticularly shown in Fig. 3.

The jar I1 may be suitably supported as set forth in the Letters Patenthereinbefore referred to.

The T member 43 is attached at one end to a pipe 5I, by a couplingmember 52, said pipe being tapped into the fuel intake manifold at someconvenient point, preferably centrally of the manifold and between thecarburetor and the places Where the manifold communicates with thecombustion chambers of the engine. The pipe 5I may be attached to thestem portion of the manifold, and a suitable pet cock or cuto valve 53may be provided in the pipe 5 I between the nozzle member 4I! and theplace of connection with the fuel intake manifold. 'I'he pet cock orcutoff valve is normally open and only closed when it may be desired todispense with the apparatus of the present invention and in makingadjustments of the carburetor and other adjuncts for the particular fuelmixture desired for the operation of the engine, which is doneregardless of the application and use of the present invention.

At the end ofthe T member 43, opposite to the end at which the pipe 5Iis attached, is a reducing cap 54 which couples the T member 43 to areducing pipe 55 by means also of a coupling 56, said pipe 55 being inturn attached to the delivery end portion of an air heating element (notshown) Air is carried from the heating element in a highly heatedcondition to the nozzle member 40. The liquid in the jar may passthrough the screen and be carried upwardly through the main wick tube 23and the wick positioning tube 26 by the capillary action of the wick 30.It Will be understood that the valve member has a plain disclike head,and a central stem portion which fits loosely in the bore of the nozzlemember 40, so that while there is free slidability, yet there is at thesame time a restricted space between the stem 48 and the surroundingwall of the nozzle member 40. It should also be understood that thevalve member 4B and the'lower end portion of the nozzle member 4U arenot formed with exact nicety for a Iperfectly fitted seating engagement,but rather they are somewhat roughly formed so that when the valvemember 49 is seated against the end portion ofthe nozzle member 4Ilthere is no complete stoppage of the passageway through the nozzlemember, but only restricted checking of the flow is afforded. As will beunderstood by those skilled in the art, due to the vacuum in the pipe 5Icreated by the suction of the engine in operation, the liquid which isbrought up into the nipple member I9 by capillary action of the wick 30in the main tube 23 and the wick positioning tube 26, is taken off insmall particles and drawn into the tube 5I and converted into a heatedvapor in the tube 5I; and the aerated vapor is eventually carried intothe combustion chambers of the engine and commingled with the fuelmixture from the carburetor in the intake manifold.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that there is nolikelihood of the wick being drawn downwardly into the jar I'I when theengine is shut off by virtue of the arrangement provided including thesprings which lock the wick in place. The arrangement insures the properpermanent positioning of the Wick in place, and the screen guardarrangement and apertures will function to prevent the entrance of anysolid matter into the tube. The result is that the liquid contents ofthe jar will be satisfactorily atomized and sprayed into the fuelmixture entering the combustion chamber of the engine.

By the use of the apparatus of the present invention in the operation ofthe engine the explosive fuel mixture is not only humidifled to such anextent that accumulation of carbon deposit Within the combustionchambers and engine cylinders is greatly minimized `and a greatereconomical effect in fuel consumption and great power and higheiiiciency are attained in the operation of the engine, but also theaccomplishment of these results is insured.

It is desired to emphasize that the features shown are merely concreteexemplications of the principle of my invention, and that thesefeatures, such as the means for locking the wick in place and the screenguard, may be varied considerably. It is to be understood that theparticular construction and arrangement shown in the drawing is for thepurpose only of illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention,and the structure may be modified without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to theprecise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself ofsuch variations and modifications as come Within the scope of theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An atomizing device of the character described comprising a liquidsupply receptacle, a .supply pipe for conveying the atomized vapor tothe intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, a main wick tubeextending within said receptacle, a closure member for said receptacle,a nipple connection between said supply pipe and said wick tube, anozzle member in said nipple connection, a wick extending through saidmain wick tube, and a mesh guard for the lower extremity of said wicktube.

2. An atomizing device of the character described comprising a liquidsupply receptacle, a supply pipe for conveying the atomized vapor to theintake manifold of an internal combustion engine, a main wick tubeextending within said receptacle, a closure member for said receptacle,a nipple connection between said supply pipe and said wick tube, anozzle member in said nipple connection, a mesh guard for the lowerextremity of said wick tube, a wick extending through said wick tube,and spring means for clamping the lower extremity of said wick in saidwick tube.

3. An atomizing device of the character described, comprising a liquidsupply receptacle, a supply pipe for conveying the atomized vapor to theintake manifold of an internal combustion engine, a main wick tubeextending within said receptacle, a closure member for said receptacle,'a nipple connection between said supply pipe and said wick tube, anozzle member in said nipple connection, a mesh guard for the lowerextremity of said wick tube, a wick extending through said wick tube,spring means for clamping the lower extremity of said wick in said wicktube, and a valve mounted between said wick tube and said supply pipe.

4. An atomizing device of the character described, comprising a liquidsupply receptacle and a closure therefor, a supply pipe for conveyingthe atomized vapor to the intake manifold of an internal combustionengine, a wick tube connected to said supply pipe, a mesh guard for saidwick tube, a wick in said wick tube, and means to secure said wick inspaced relation to the interior of said tube.

5. An atomizing device of the character described, comprising a liquidsupply receptacle and a closure therefor, a supply pipe for conveyingthe atomized vapor to the intake manifold of an internal combustionengine, a wick tube connected to said supply pipe, a mesh guard for saidwick tube, a wick in said wick tube, and

means to secure said wick in spaced relation to the interior of saidtube, said means comprising a spring engaging the inner side of saidtube.

6. An atomizingdevice of the character described, comprising a liquidsupply receptacle and a closure therefor, a supply pipe for conveyingthe atomized vapor to the intake manifold of an internal combustionengine, a wick tube connected to said supply pipe, a mesh guard for saidwick tube, a wick in said wick tube, and means to secure said wick inspaced relation to the interior of said tube, said means comprising aspring engaging the inner side of said tube, said spring having a loopadapted to engage said wick.

7. An atomizing device of the character described, comprising a liquidsupply receptacle and a closure therefor, a supply pipe extendingthrough said closure for conveying the atomized vapor to the intakemanifold of an internal combustion engine, a main wick tube in saidreceptacle, a wick positioning tube in said main wick tube, a wick insaid tubes, and securing means adapted to engage said positioning tubeand said wick.

8. An atomizing device of the character described, comprising a liquidsupply receptacle and a closure therefor, a supply pipe extendingthrough said closure for conveying the atomized vapor to the intakemanifold of an internal combustion engine, a main wick tube in saidrecel tacle, a wick positioning tube in said main wick tube, a wick insaid tubes having its end portions extending out from said positioningtube, and means to secure said ends to said positioning tube.

9. An atomizing device of the character described, comprising a liquidsupply receptacle and a closure therefor, a supply pipe extendingthrough said closure for conveying the atomized vapor to the intakemanifold of an internal combustion engine, a main wick tube in saidreceptacle, a wick positioning tube in said main wick tube, a wick insaid tubes having its end portions extending out from said positioningtube, and means to secure said ends to said positioning tube, said meanscomprising a clamping spring.

DANIEL L. COVYEOW.

